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University research directory
Research labs at
University of Kentucky.
Compare 5 listed faculty-led profiles, explore their research interests, and follow the evidence in their selected work. These listings are a starting point for discovery and do not establish recruiting availability.
Explore the research before reaching out
Review each lab’s official website and recent publications. Compare the methods used, the questions being asked, and the practical requirements of any published opening. Unclaimed profiles are independently curated; the university has not approved or endorsed them.
How to compare research labs ↗Official university website ↗5 research-led lab profiles
Browse labs by their listed college affiliationDibakar Bhattacharyya Research Group
University of KentuckyDibakar Bhattacharyya · UK Alumni Professor
Dibakar Bhattacharyya investigates membranes that do more than act as passive filters. His research develops tunable and functionalized materials for water purification, pollutant removal, and useful chemical transformations. Projects include reactive nanostructured membranes, heavy-metal capture, and modifications that improve selective separation. Current research records also describe dissolved-mercury removal and membrane purification for continuous virus-particle biomanufacturing. The work connects environmental engineering and membrane chemistry with practical separation challenges, exploring how carefully chosen surface functions and nanoscale structures can improve treatment, reuse, and manufacturing processes.
Isabel Escobar Research Group
University of KentuckyIsabel Escobar · Professor
Isabel Escobar engineers membrane materials for cleaner water and water reuse. Her research investigates multifunctional nanocomposite membranes, including two-dimensional materials that can help remove or destroy PFAS. Other projects examine antimicrobial membranes, biological and nanoparticle fouling, bio-derived materials, photocatalysis, and greener fabrication methods. Scaling membrane production connects laboratory design with practical use. The group asks both how to improve contaminant separation and how to make the separating materials themselves more sustainable, bringing polymer engineering and nanoscale surface chemistry into pressing environmental treatment challenges.
J. Zach Hilt Research Group
University of KentuckyJ. Zach Hilt · William J. Bryan Professor
Zach Hilt develops nanocomposite materials for biological and environmental applications. His research interests include magnetic nanoparticles, bionanotechnology, and nanomedicine, with work on hydrogels that can be remotely controlled or respond to measured chemical signals. These systems connect material behavior with drug delivery and other biomedical uses. Environmental projects investigate polymer networks designed to bind persistent pollutants such as PCBs. The research links nanoscale components with the behavior of larger polymer systems, asking how responsive materials can perform useful functions in complex biological or contaminated environments.
Kenneth S. Campbell Research Group
University of KentuckyKenneth S. Campbell · Professor
Kenneth Campbell studies how the heart’s molecular machinery connects to its performance as a whole organ. His group combines biophysical and biochemical experiments with computational modeling to investigate cardiac contractility and heart failure. Research spans sarcomere mechanics, ventricular growth, blood-flow dynamics, and recovery associated with ventricular unloading. A cardiac tissue biobank supports collaborations on genetic and molecular contributors to disease. The program links donated human samples and detailed mechanical measurements with simulations of hearts that change over time, with the long-term aim of improving treatment strategies.
Luke H. Bradley Research Group
University of KentuckyLuke H. Bradley · Chellgren Endowed Professor
Luke Bradley investigates peptide- and protein-based platforms with potential applications in neurodegenerative disease. His research connects neuroscience with molecular and structural biology to explore biotherapeutic design. A recent collaboration also turns protein structures and gene-mutation data into sound, mapping biological information onto pitch, rhythm, and timbre to investigate patterns that may be difficult to see. This unusual combination brings molecular research together with data sonification and the arts. The program offers connections among protein-based therapeutic strategies, methods for interpreting complex biological data, and neuroscience research.
Showing 1–5 of 5 labs